Supercars 2024: Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney out to revive title charge as he chases back-to-back Sandown 500 wins

Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney experienced the highs and lows of racing during last year’s Supercars enduros. Now he’s ready to ignite his title charge with a twin assault at Sandown and Bathurst.

Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney has declared his championship ambitions this year “far from over” as he aims to revive his title chase with a repeat of his Sandown 500 success before attempting to bury his Bathurst 1000 heartache.

As the Supercars endurance season ignites this week at Sandown Raceway, Feeney said he was “fired up” for the two biggest races on the calendar this year when he will again join forces with his team boss and seven-time series champion Jamie Whincup as his co-driver.

The 21-year-old became the youngest winner of the 500 km classic last year to claim his first endurance crown sharing his Camaro with Whincup, who took his sixth win in the event.

Feeney rated the Sandown 500 victory as one of the “biggest accomplishments” of his young racing career to date and would be settling for nothing less than back-to-back Sandown wins to get himself “back in the championship fight”.

“Obviously they are both really long races (Sandown and Bathurst), but I’m certainly pretty fired up, especially after the last few rounds to get back on the front foot,” Feeney said.

V8 Supercars team Red Bull Ampol Racing (from left) Scott Pye, Will Brown, Broc Feeney, and Jamie Whincup. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“I’ve got all the confidence in the world as a team and a line-up, that we can certainly be fighting for the win. So, the goal going there is to win the race and nothing less.

“I don’t really look at (Sandown) as a lead-in to Bathurst. It’s equal points.

“I want to win both of the races. The two biggest events for us for the year and it’s 600 points, which I need at the moment.

“For me, they are two races to get back in the championship fight and obviously I would love to go back-to-back at Sandown, but I would love to have the chance to try and do the double in the enduros.”

While Feeney has more wins – five – than any other driver this season, he lost second place in the championship standings to Ford rival Chaz Mostert after a tough round in Sydney mid-year.

The rising star took another hit last start at Symmons Plains when he got turned by Thomas Randle as they battled for a podium place and ended up 15th.

Feeney now sits 198 points behind his series-leading teammate Will Brown and 117 behind Mostert, but said there was still plenty of time in the season to make up the ground.

“I still feel we are right in the championship fight,” Feeney said.

Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup will again team up for the 2024 Supercars enduros.

“It’s probably easier to say that it’s a two-horse race at the moment, but 600 points up for grabs, I am not even 200 behind. I am half a race behind at the moment.

“There is so much still to play out for the year … I’m just really focused on trying to get as many of those points that I can and come Gold Coast (round in late October) we will see where we are lining up for the rest of the year.

“It’s certainly far from over at the moment.”

The Randle-Feeney incident made headlines in Tasmania after the Tickford Racing driver was blocked by Triple Eight team manager Mark Dutton from entering the team’s garage as he went to apologise to Feeney.

Feeney said Randle eventually caught up with him to deliver his apology and he had now put the incident behind him.

“He was obviously very apologetic, he knew he stuffed up and made a mistake and we had a quick chat and we move on,” Feeney said.

“He came and apologised and just said it was completely his fault, had a quick chat to him and thanked him for coming to find me after and speaking to me.

“But we’ll move onto Sandown now, that’s in the past and unfortunately we can’t change it.”

Jamie Whincup reacts after the Triple Eight Chevrolet Camaro driven by Broc Feeney pulled into the garage due to mechanical issues during the 2023 Bathurst 1000. Picture: Getty

Feeney will also be out to erase the heartbreak of last year’s Bathurst 1000 campaign when his race hopes were crushed after suffering a gear issue when he was in podium contention.

Vision of a devastated Feeney in tears with his head in his hands with his car parked in the garage was a heartbreaking image from the 2023 endurance classic.

“We got the win there at the start of the year at round one (at the Bathurst 500) and everyone said ‘Was that sort of a bit of redemption?’ But not at all, hopefully that comes next month,” Feeney said.

“I am really excited to get back there, but I think that makes it an extra special feeling knowing last year we finished right at the back due to a problem.

“I’m certainly fired up to get back there, I cannot wait. You always can’t wait for Bathurst, but it is just that extra little fuel in the fire to strive for a better result.”

Feeney said his Sandown win alongside Whincup last year had been a surreal moment and said the seven-time Supercars champion could still be a frontrunner if he was a full-time driver.

Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup celebrate on the podium after winning the 2023 Sandown 500. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

“Just to win the Sandown 500 itself is one of my biggest accomplishments in my racing career, but to do it with Jamie was unreal,” Feeney said.

“I just remember at the start watching him, I did a bad job in the shootout and we started fifth and he carved a way to put us in the lead and really set our race up.

“I was just like a fan watching him carve up though the field and I was lucky enough to be the guy that jumped in at the end to finish the job off. It was unreal to stand on the roof with him and share the podium.

“He could jump on the grid any day and be battling right up the front without a doubt.

“It’s just awesome to learn from him. A main driver and co-driver roles are normally opposite, the main guy is leading and giving him (co-driver) all the instructions, but it is certainly a very neutral relationship for me and swings the other way more often than not.”

Originally published as Supercars 2024: Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney out to revive title charge as he chases back-to-back Sandown 500 wins